The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and the British Empire, including British North America (Canada). For Canadians, it was a war of survival to prevent being conquered by the United States. Although the U.S. population vastly outnumbered Canadians, General Isaac Brock and Shawnee chief Tecumseh helped the smaller Canadian forces defeat the U.S. invasions through deception and strategic victories. While the war ended in a stalemate, it ensured Canada's independence from the U.S. and established it as a separate nation.

1. The War of 1812

2. Canada and the War of 1812
This year is the 200th anniversary
Not many people remember it at all, especially in
America
The War of 1812 was basically Canada’s War of
Independence
For the Americans it was a war of conquest
For Canadians it was a war of survival
Between 1812 and 1814, Canada won the right to not
be American

3. The Lead-up to War
Louis XVI helped the Americans with their American
Revolution was now in the middle of a revolution of
his own.
During the French Revolution Louis and his wife
Marie Antoinette had their heads chopped off by a
guillotine
A ruthless little general named Napoleon seized
power and launched France on a European war of
conquest.

5. The War of 1812
What is important to
realize, from a Canadian
perspective, is this:
 The French Revolution led
to the Napoleonic Wars of
1793-1815
 The War of 1812 was the
North American phase of
this conflict
With Britain bogged
down in Europe fighting
Napoleon, the Americans
saw their chance at
capturing Canada – and
they took it.

6. “Free trade and sailors’ rights”
The Americans also had some genuine grievances
against the British
 The British were preventing France from trading with the
United States
 The British Navy had also asserted its right to board foreign
ships and press any British citizens they found into military
service.
 In 1807, they fired upon a U.S. vessel, the Chesapeake, killing
several men, before boarding the ship and arresting four so-
called deserters – two of whom were American citizens. Britain
later apologized, and released the Americans but the damage
had been done

8. A Mere Matter of Marching
Americans say they were the underdogs in 1812.
Why? Because they were up against the British
Empire!
BUT! Great Britain was tied up in Europe, and
Canada lay poorly defended and exposed.
Consider the real odds:
 Population of the United States: 7.5 million
 Population of Upper Canada: less than 80,000
 The entire population of the British North American colonies
combined was less than 1 million
How could the Americans possibly lose?

9. War!
On June 18, 1812 the United States of America
declared war on Great Britain – and made
immediate plans for the Conquest of Canada
Remember Canada didn’t exist as a separate country
at this point

10. The War in Upper Canada (Ontario)
The original Loyalist population of Upper
Canada had been swamped by an influx of
American settlers whose true loyalty remained in
doubt
Fortunately (for Canada) the U.S. forces were
very poorly organized and launched scattered
attacks rather than focusing their approach
Most of the battles took place along the boarder
between the United States and the British North
American Colonies (Canada)

11. General Isaac Brock
Brock was the man in
charge of defending the
colony from the American
invaders
He was a brilliant
strategist and an
inspiring leader
Isaac Brock was long
remembered as the fallen
hero and saviour of
Upper Canada

12. Tecumseh
 Tecumseh was a Shawnee chief
that was allied with the British
 His main goals were to
 Stop American expansion into
Native territory
 To secure a sovereign First Nations
Confederacy in the interior.
 He brought together dozens of
different Nations and fought
along side the British for
tactical reasons, not loyalty.

13. Bluffing their way to victory
 The Americans were confident that the Canadians would
flock over to the American side of the fight – but they
didn’t!
 Brock had an idea – there weren’t very many British
regular soldiers so he dressed Canadian militia in the red
coats of the regular army to make them seem like they
were professional soldiers
 He also knew that the Americans were terrified of the
Natives and Brock and Tecumseh used this to their
advantage
 Tecumseh paraded his men in front of the American Garrison then
led them through the woods to join the end of the line again. Then
they marched past again. Tecumseh marched the same men by
three times and the Americans never caught on
 Their estimates of Tecumseh’s forces ranged as high as 3000
warriors. In fact, Tecumseh had fewer than 600 men on hand.

14. Summer 1812 VIDEO
(28:00)
Describe the Battle of Detroit
What happened in the Niagara Region?
What happened in the Montreal region?

15. Battles
April 27, 1813 – General Dearborn captures York
(Toronto)
June 6, 1813 – Battle of Stoney Creek – American
advance stopped cold
June 24, 1813 – Battle of Beaver Dams –
Americans turned back
July 31, 1813 – Americans re-capture York
(Toronto)
October 5, 1813 – Battle of Moraviantown –
Tecumseh dies

16. September 1813 The Americans Invade Canada –
Again (1:04:00)
What happened during the American’s invasion of
Quebec?
Why were the battles of Chatteauguay and Chrysler’s
Farm so important to Canadian mythology?
Describe Laura Secord’s legend.

18. http://www.historicalatlas.ca/website/hacolp/defining_episodes/milita

19. Summer 1814 The American Capital Burns
(1:20:30)
What happened to American slaves? How did it
impact the Americans?
Describe the events surrounding the attack of
Washington DC
How did the British legitimize burning down
Washington?
What happened to the American economy? Why
did they trade with the enemy?

21. What Next?
Britain attempted peace talks (in Europe)
Natives not invited
Failed invasions of New York, Baltimore and New
Orleans by the British

22. 1815 Peace
(1:47:00)
What conditions were met for peace?
Why did both countries celebrate thinking victory?
How did it impact the Natives?
Who do you think won?

23. So Who Won?
 Do you want to know the  The United States lost a war
strange thing about the War of and won a conference.
1812? The Americans think  Britain’s First Nation allies
they won it. Really. were completely shut out of the
 Do you want to know what’s negotiations
even stranger? They’re right.  So were the Canadians
Not in a military sense of  The Americans had refused to
course. allow either at the bargaining
 On the battlefield, the table.
Americans lost. They didn’t  The United States came away
even come close to their goal – with their sovereignty
the conquest of Canada reaffirmed
 But war is after all a political
 But... we did burn down the
tool, and what counts in the White House!
end are the long term results,
not individual heroics

24. The Final Score
Who won? Who lost? The final score stands like this:
 The Americans won
 The Canadians broke even
 The First Nations lost